Have you heard of the B612 foundation?
It is a group dedicated to providing an advance warning system for earth-asteroid collisions. They are working to build a telescope specifically for mapping the debris coming in and out of earth orbit. The technology required to do this task has only been experimentally demonstrated and the prototype infrared detectors are now in the testing phase. I chip in at least $5 a year to the project.
The institute’s board of directors includes Ed Lu (lived on the ISS for six months and was part of the leadership that developed google earth), Rusty Schweikart (Apollo 9 lunar module pilot), as well as other astronauts, scientists, and tech leaders from SpaceX, NASA, Google, Redit and other giants. Serious stuff.
Their commentary today is about an asteroid 48 m across. As I type this, it is passing within 28,000 km of us at 8 km/s. For reference, that is well under our geosynchronous communication satellites (they are at 35,786 km).
Kinetic impactors and gravity tractors….I have GOT to get me one of those!
And here all these years I thought B612 foundation was what you applied just before your blush and your eyeliner. Hmmmphhh.